Rolex is a brand that many watch collectors have mixed feeling of love & hate at the same time. I like some of their products and owned some as well. I advice all those who want to get one to be patient or look at other great watches available out there. Ultimately, it does not matter what the brand is on the dial but rather the time and experience you spent with it on your wrist.
Why Do People Buy Rolex Watches
I will always be passionate about Rolex. I love many other brands. However Rolex is a brand that is special. Yes they do make many watches every year. However let me say that no one really knows exactly how many because the numbers used are more speculative than reality. What no one knows is how many are made in each category. There is no doubt that watch brands like Patek, AP , Lange and a good few others from an artisanal point of view make wonderful and beautiful watches. However from a quality consistancy point of view no one and i really no one can match Rolex. I have been buying watches for 50 years now many different brands. However every Rolex i have bought wether sport or normal oyster over time becomes a good investment even though i never bought them for that purpose. This you cannot say about any other brand other than whats happening with the steel nautilus, and thats only happened over the past 10 years if that. So yes there are Rolex haters and lovers, but you cant fault the product. Also its wrong to say that its not the best. Well how about a 40 year old submariner thats been worn under the sea in the mountains any anywhere else you can think and only had movement service once. You could not do that with any other watch i own period.
I know what Rolex watches are good at, I know what to expect from the brand, and I certainly know how seriously other people take them. And that goes equally for new and vintage Rolex watches that attract very distinct fan.
Rolex watches are perhaps the finest mass-produced industrial timepiece on the planet. They may actually be the finest mass-produced anything. And by mass-produced I mean in terms of watch brand production volumes which for watches at the Rolex price point is most always less than one million watches per year.
Eventually, I came to approve of and even greatly desire one, then two, and later more Rolex watch models. What really changed my perception of Rolex was being able to survey the competition. My status as a watch writer and expert affords me the opportunity to handle over 1,000 watches per year. I've reviewed a lot of watches and can say for sure that Rolex does a lot of things the very best.
You also can't deny the communicative power a Rolex watch has when saying something about your status, wealth, and taste. None of it may be true, but years of work have given Rolex wearers a pretty good personality edge. Even people who think buying a Rolex is a too easy way of showing actual or apparent wealth can usually only fault the wearer and not the watch. I've come to find that a Rolex watch is infrequently a bad choice.
People tend to want buy a Rolex for one of the following main reasons: to celebrate an achievement, to own a watch that appears to hold value, to communicate a level of career or life success, to own a luxury watch that is a simple choice, or to wear a timepiece with a lot of history. Most Rolex watch models would satisfy each of these needs. No reason is better or worse, but it is interesting that most people's desire to wear a Rolex falls into one or more of these categories.
The natural next question to ask is whether these are good reasons or whether these are just marketing perpetuated ideas to sell watches. That is a very good question and I think the most simple response is that whether or not these ideas are perpetuated by marketing, they are true. Rolex watches are frequently given or purchased on special occasions. Rolex watches to tend to hold their value very well. And Rolex watches are a well-known luxury brand with a name lots of people have a positive association with. So marketing aside, they are true claims.
People have sometimes asked me if "Rolex watches are the best in the world?" Rolex is probably the most powerful luxury watch name, and their products are very well-made, these are facts. However, Rolex watches are the last timepiece some people will buy, and for others they are just a start.
Rolex tends to make simple mechanical movements and a limited variety of core designs. There is an entire universe of more complicated, more expensive, and more thoroughly designed watches. Having said that, few will claim that a Rolex doesn't belong in a well-rounded watch collection.
Four possible response choices were given and the results were remarkably well-distributed. About 21% said that it was best to buy a Rolex as soon as they could afford it. About 24% said the best time to get a Rolex was after sampling watches from many other brands. About 25% said it was Rolex time as soon as you've achieved a certain level of success. The rest weren't interested in Rolex watches at all.
The poll results indicated that 70% of aBlogtoWatch readers felt it was a good idea to buy a Rolex at some point. Clearly, you need to afford one first. As of now, the entry level price for the most basic new Rolex watch is about $5,000, with most pieces people want priced in the $8,000 - $12,000 range. Of course vintage or pre-owned Rolex watches can be less or actually more money.
Assuming the money is in the bank, you need to feel emotionally ready. Sound silly? Well given that people associate so many types of sentimental feelings with Rolex watches, it is actually something to consider. Let me tell you what I personally feel. Like I said earlier, Rolex watches are a monolith. The brand is like a rock-solid force that was here before I was born, and will be here after I have left.
Having said that, I'd love a Rolex right now, but perhaps it would be a foolhardy decision. I am among those people who believe that the time to buy a Rolex is right after you've sampled a lot of watches, and when the right level of life success calls for it. I am just one person however. What we've done for you is collect the thoughts of our most respected fellow watch experts and writers to weigh in on this issue.
The reason that I would suggest vintage early in the collecting career is A) they can be had for little money comparatively speaking, B) you get a superb, historic, and truly in-house watch from a bluechip brand, and C) it was the 1950s-70s when Rolex was really in its hey-day. In fact, I would argue that Rolex is the most important watch brand of the 20th century - their list of technical firsts is a mile long, and watches such as the 1970s Datejust (ref 1603), which very much like the modern Datejust today, can be purchased in good, original condition for $2500 (+/- depending on condition, etc).
I think a modern Rolex is a slightly different story, and the real benefit to buying new is if you want a true sport watch that can handle anything you throw at it. Sure, an old Submariner or GMT can be serviced to be completely water-proof, but they still have plastic crystals and 40 year old parts (here and there). A modern Rolex is built like a tank, and while they may not have some of the charm of some vintage pieces, they are truly exceptionally well-made watches. Though, I think they lack some of the charm of the early tritium and radium dials."
"I like the way the Japanese gift watches based around an occasion such as a graduation, a significant birthday, a first job or an important promotion. I think that approach should apply even if you're buying for yourself. A mechanical watch is not like buying a lamp or a computer, it is something very special so you should link purchasing one to a meaningful event in your life. Both the event and the watch will hold more meaning that way.
As mechanical watches require some care you need a sense of responsibility to own one. We all mature at different ages but many people (males and females) have the sense of responsibility by sixteen or by eighteen."
If you aren't buying a Rolex to celebrate a joyful event, but just want to buy that first good watch that will last a lifetime, you might as well take pre-owned Rolex watches into consideration. A pre-owned Rolex will certainly save you a few bucks, unless the Rolex is a sports model that is much sought-after (f.i. Submariner, Sea-Dweller, GMT-Master). Chances are quite good that the price of a pre-owned vintage Rolex equals a new Rolex watch or is even more expensive."
Wearing a Rolex portrays the image of success. How many guys do you see in business meetings and or networking events wearing a Rolex who are successful in the world of business. Most of the people that you see wearing a Rolex are succeeding in life. They're succeeding in business they are succeeding in life they are succeeding in everything. They've probably bought a Rolex to commemorate the fact that they have made a success of something or another. Many people will buy a Rolex to commemorate a big business deal, or a big investment deal, or a major milestone in life. A lot of people use Rolexes to mark certain achievements.
The second reason for investing in a Rolex is being able to pass it down to the next generation. I have a six-year-old daughter, and one of the reasons for me collecting Rolex watches is that when I pass on to the next life, I can pass my Rolexes down to my daughter as a family heirloom. She can then keep them, pass them on to her kids, or she could liquidate them to buy a new house, or a new car, or something like that. You can enjoy the watches throughout the life. Then when you're done with them, you can pass them down to your children. They can pass them down to their children, and it can become a family heirloom, and be passed down through generations. It's a really nice idea, and obviously, your Rolex will increase in value all the way through its life if you buy the right one too.
This is probably the biggest reason people collect Rolexes, and that is to collect Rolex as an investment. You've all seen the guy down in the pub wearing his nice shiny Rolex. That ladies and gentlemen is not just a fashion statement. That is a pretty savvy investment. You buy a Rolex now for say 4, 5, 6 thousand pounds, or better still you can get your hands on one of the rarer models, including a number of the stainless steel models, you are going to see a great return on that investment.
38c6e68cf9